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- Your first year
Your system's first year in a new home or a new space.
What to do, what to look for, and when to have it checked — from move-in to the end of the first year, for newly built homes and newly fitted-out commercial spaces in Sugar Land and Fort Bend.
Read your own warranty first
Builder warranties, manufacturer warranties and commercial correction periods all differ. Nothing on this page describes your coverage. If a problem is covered, the party that gave the warranty should fix it — an independent check simply helps you describe the problem in writing before the coverage ends.
A new house: the three moments that matter.
Most of the year needs nothing more than filters and attention. Three points are worth doing properly.
- Month 1 — move-in
- Change the filter, then again a month later: construction dust loads new filters quickly. Find the filter, the outdoor disconnect, the breaker and the condensate line. Look up the equipment's warranty registration — some manufacturers want it within a set period after installation.
- Month 6 — first service
- A full check before the season turns: refrigerant charge confirmed under real load, airflow, drain and float switch, electrical connections, and a look at the attic ducts.
- Month 11 — before coverage ends
- Have the system checked and every issue written down — rooms that never cooled, a drain that overflowed, a noise that started — while your builder's first-year coverage still applies. Bring the list to your warranty walk.
The condensate drain.
In most Sugar Land houses the air handler sits in the attic, over a ceiling. Its drain carries away the water it pulls out of the air — a lot of it, in a Gulf Coast summer. New lines can collect debris from construction and clog in the first months.
A float switch shuts the system off before a clogged drain overflows. Make sure yours is there, and that the drain pan under the unit is dry. If it isn't, call.
A new office, clinic, shop or restaurant.
A fit-out is usually commissioned before furniture, people and equipment arrive. The first year is when the space gets used as it really is.
- Opening week
- Check that thermostat schedules match your hours — installer and walk-through settings are often left in place. Ask for the equipment list, start-up reports and any test-and-balance report from the fit-out.
- First months
- Walk the space at full occupancy. Conference rooms, exam rooms, kitchens and server closets behave differently when they're busy. Keep a dated list.
- Mid-year
- First maintenance visit on every unit, including rooftop condensate drains and anything other trades have touched on the roof.
- Before the correction period ends
- Many construction contracts and leases include a period — often a year — in which the installing contractor corrects defects. Have the units checked and put issues in writing before it ends.
What an independent check covers.
- Refrigerant charge, confirmed under real cooling load.
- Airflow and room-by-room temperatures.
- Drains, pans and float switches.
- Ducts in the attic or above the ceiling — crushed, kinked or disconnected runs.
- Thermostat settings and schedules.
- A written summary with photos, in plain language.
We don't judge your builder or installer, and we don't guess about who is responsible. We describe what we find.
Moved in recently? Book the first-year check.
Homes and commercial spaces across Sugar Land and Fort Bend.